A quick glance around the island of St. Maarten/St. Martin will inevitably lead you into considerations of the wide-ranging yachting industry. Mega yachts and super yachts, cruising sailboats, working boats and sporting boats, the constant call is always there: repairs and service.
The business of keeping all those boats in top working order falls on a few very skilled experts. Managing those businesses and the expert workers is a big challenge, but one that Norina Edelman takes on with determination and alacrity.
“I always liked being immersed in new and unfamiliar information. I was trained as an attorney in the U.S. and practiced there for more than seven years.”
Edelman took a sabbatical from practicing law in 2007, which led her to travel to Monaco where she found herself in the middle of the largest annual boat event on the planet, the Monaco Yacht Show. There she met and entered a business arrangement with the founder of IMM, Fabrice Maitre. IMM, or International Marine Management, is a huge business, in place for more than 30 years, dedicated to superyacht repair around the world. They boast strategic bases across the Caribbean, including Guadeloupe and St. Maarten.
IMM is well known for offering European-standard quality for all projects, large and small. Their yard in Guadeloupe can haul out yachts for repair up to 700 metric tonnes. “I enjoy being given a challenge and having to understand a lot of things, and solve problems. I consider it rewarding to get to add value, either on a commercial side or the social side. I like that challenge.”
Edelman does enjoy challenges, so much so that she has entered into ownership/management arrangements for two other businesses in the island’s marine trade sector, as well as becoming a board member of St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA). “I first came here and I loved working in this industry that can truly impact the local economy. These guests have to spend money on a wide range of businesses, and also in the service of the boats industry.”
Besides IMM, which provides logistical solutions and manages technical requirements for yacht refits and maintenance projects, from trimarans in excess of 40 meters to very large sailing yachts and motor yachts in excess of 120 meters, Edelman has recently become the managing director of FKG Marine Rigging & Fabricating NV, a cornerstone of St. Maarten’s marine industry. Since 2017, she and her partner Chris Marshall have worked to build on FKG’s strong foundation and stellar reputation, bringing in new technologies and significant technical expertise.
FKG is the go-to spot for rigging work of all kinds, as well as metal fabrication and hydraulics. Rigging can be thought of as the balancing of forces that keeps the mast and other super structures secure and strong. FKG’s hydraulics and fabrication expertise often take the business into the non-marine sector, working on trucks, cranes, large antennas and various construction projects. They also keep industrial tugboats and other work boats in top form. FKG employs more than 40 workers and offers skills training that can assure good employment for a lifetime. The business recently signed an agreement to represent Rig Pro, an international company with state of the art brands such as Future Fibres and Southern Spars.
As if that wasn’t enough, Edelman also owns and manages Dockside Management, another iconic marine St. Maarten business with a quarter century under its belt. The cater to business needs of yacht owners, helping them clear in and out with the island’s immigration authorities, obtain visas and generally making sure the yacht crew and guests are happy and well connected to local businesses and services. Edelman and her team at Dockside Management work as ambassadors for St. Maarten to the larger worldwide yachting community.
Soon after Edelman took the reins at Dockside, she noticed that the yacht owners and crew are such great fans of the island that they returned after Hurricane Irma, even though they didn’t have guests to meet. “Clients are loyal; they returned to support St. Maarten and the local businesses and the marinas.”
Edelman is a fan of the island, too. She has big plans for the future with hopes for expansion, especially for broadening the level of skills needed to service the biggest yachts. “We have had good discussions with the Labour and Justice departments about how to increase expertise in the job market. I feel like this is a place to do it, because of the number of businesses here. There is already a significant and intelligent workforce here. When you look at some of the largest yachts that are anchored here, there is an element that you need to bring in people with elevated expertise to train people who are willing and capable and hardworking; and so that is how we need to expand and that will reach the economy.”
